Hinterland is an aran weight crochet shawl pattern that I designed back in 2018. It was a crochet design commissioned for Mollie Makes magazine, which is sadly no longer published (oh, how I loved Mollie Makes!).
In the magazine, the shawl was called Nordic Noir. I wasn’t keen on that title, so I changed the name when I published it independently. Hinterland, as a name, feels a little bit less moody.
For the first time, I’m offering it as a free crochet pattern, but you can still buy a print-friendly version on Ravelry (where I have lots of other crochet patterns). You can buy Hinterland in my Etsy store too.
Making the Hinterland Crochet Shawl
If you would like the free version of Hinterland, my aran-weight crochet shawl, please keep reading. I’ll throw in a few “How to” pictures as well, as I think that’s helpful. A chart and table of stitch counts are also included in the PDF version pattern for purchase.
To make your aran weight crochet shawl, you will need (funnily enough) some aran weight yarn. I have crocheted this shawl three times, and each time I have successfully used a different yarn brand. It’s a very versatile shawl. Sadly, I don’t remember the other brands, but that’s Ok as I don’t have many pics of them anyway. Just use your fave aran or worsted weight yarn and you won’t go far wrong.
However, a perfectly fine yarn to use, and the yarn I used in the original Hinterland shawl, is King Cole Fashion Aran. Unfortunately, it looks like the Shetland shade isn’t available anymore, but don’t worry, the range is pretty wide. I’m sure you can choose lots of colourful alternatives to make a beautiful crochet shawl. Just writing up this blog post makes me want to crochet a new version in totally different colours!
This aran weight crochet shawl pattern is super easy, and therefore, I would say that it’s suitable for beginners.
The finished size is approximately. It’s a big, warm hug of a shawl at 220 x 88 cm / 86.5 x 34.5 inches.
Free Crochet Shawl Pattern Using Aran Weight Yarn
Hinterland’s Yarn and Hook Sizes.
As has been the case for my last few free crochet patterns, I’ve made the decision to write the freebie up in US terms. I didn’t always do this, but because many of my customers prefer US terms, it makes sense to move forward with this from now on. The paid-for version has both UK and US crochet terms.
King Cole Fashion Aran is 30% and 70% acrylic with 200m per 100g. You will need 300g (3x100g balls) of the main colour (YA) and 200g (2x100g balls) of the edging colour (YB).
For the main body of the shawl, you will need a 5.0 mm (UK 6, US H/8) crochet hook. For the edging, change to a 5.5mm (US I) crochet hook. There is a slight difference in tension for the different crochet stitches, so to balance that, the different hook sizes are used. There’s nothing to stop you from using a different size of hook to find one that best suits your crochet style.
Ready to crochet?
Aran Weight Crochet Shawl Pattern
With YA and 5mm hook, chain 4
Row 1: (1dc, ch2, 2dc) in 4th ch from hook, turn. [2 sts per side, not inc 2 centre chains]
Row 2: Ch3, 1dc in same st, 2dc in next st, (1dc, 2ch, 1dc) in 2ch-sp, 2dc in next st, 2dc in top of 4th ch, turn. [5 sts per side & increasing by 3 sts each row]
Row 3: Ch3, 1dc in same st, 2dc in next st, 1dc along to center, (1dc, 2ch, 1dc) in 2ch-sp, 1dc along to last 2 sts, 2dc in next st, 2dc in top of 3rd ch, turn.
Row 4 – 7: Rep Row 3
Row 8: Ch4 (counts as 1dc and ch1, here & throughout), [1dc in next st, ch1] twice, skip next st, *1dc, ch1, skip 1 st; rep from * to center, (1dc, 2ch,1dc) in 2ch-sp, ch1, **skip 1 st, 1dc, ch1; rep from** to last 2 sts, 1dc in next st, ch1, 1dc in top of 3rd ch, turn. [12dc & 11ch sts / 23sts]
Row 9: Ch3, 1dc in same st, 2dc in 1st ch-sp, 1dc in next st, *1dc in ch-sp, 1dc in next st; rep from * to center, (1dc, 2ch, 1dc) in 2ch-sp, **1dc in next st, 1dc in ch-sp; rep from ** to last 2 sts, 2dc in last ch-sp, 2dc in top of 3rd ch, turn. [26 st per side]
Row 10 – 15: Rep Row 3
Row 16: Rep Row 8
Row 17: Rep Row 9
Row 18 – 19: Rep Row 3
Row 20: Rep Row 8
Row 21: Rep Row 9
Row 22 – 27: Rep Row 3
Row 28: Rep Row 8
Row 29: Rep Row 9
Row 30 – 31: Rep Row 3
Row 32: Rep Row 8
Row 33: Rep Row 9
Row 34 – 39: Rep Row 3
Row 40: Rep Row 8
Row 41: Rep Row 9 [122 sts per side]
Crochet Linen Stitch Edging
Change to a 5.5 mm hook.
Row 42: Ch4, 1sc in same st, ch1, skip 1 st, *1sc, ch1, skip 1 st; rep from * to center, (1sc, 2ch, 1sc) in 2ch-sp, ch1, skip 1st, rep from * to end, finishing with (1sc, 1ch, 1dc) in top of 3rd ch, change colour to YB on last st, turn. [1dc, 62sc, 62ch / 125 sts & increasing by 3 sts per side, each row]
Row 43: Ch4, 1sc in first sp, ch1, skip 1 st, *1sc in 1ch-sp, ch1, skip 1 st; rep from * to center, (1sc, 2ch, 1sc) in 2ch-sp, ch1, skip 1 st, rep from * to end finishing with (1sc, 1ch, 1dc) in last sp, turn.
Row 44 – 62: Rep Row 43
Row 63: Ch1 (does not count as a st), (1sc, 2ch, 1sc) in first ch-sp, 1sl st in next ch-sp, *(1sc, 2ch, 1sc) in next ch-sp, sl st in next); rep from * to center, (2sc, 2ch, 2sc) in 2ch-sp, **1sl st in next ch-sp, (1sc, 2ch, 1sc) in next; rep from ** to end.
Fasten off and sew in ends.
Blocking A Crochet Shawl
As luck would have it, I have a blog post all about blocking crochet projects. Feel free to check it out because it has lots of useful info. However, for this aran weight crochet shawl, I used a yarn that has a blend of wool and acrylic. Due to the acrylic content, I chose to steam block the Hinterland shawl. Be super careful when you do this because steam is HOT, and you do not want to melt all of your hard work.
To open up the stitches and give this shawl a beautiful drape, blocking is essential. Pin out onto foam blocking mats (or use a towel on the carpet). Take lots of care to steam block by holding an iron (with a steam function) an inch above the work. This is just so important, DO NOT let the iron touch the yarn; it will melt/burn acrylic yarn.
Leave to dry.
However, I thoroughly recommend getting a steamer; honestly, it totally takes away the fear of melting.
Making Tassels for your Crochet Shawl
Make three tassels; you want one for each point of your triangle shawl. If the following instructions don’t make sense, I have a How To Make Tassels video tutorial.
Wrap Yarn B around the width of a sturdy A5 book approximately 20 times.
With a 30 cm piece of yarn, tie the lengths together in the middle, then cut the other ends. Fold the strands in half with the tie at the top so that you have a mini bundle of yarn.
2cm down from the tied middle, tie another 30cm length of yarn around the lengths (you can wrap this around a couple of times) and let them hang with the other threads.
Trim the tassel ends and tie them to the corners of the shawl for a nice finishing touch. Sew in the ends.
And voila! That’s how you make an aran weight crochet shawl. If you like this crochet pattern and would like to try some of my other designs, the best way to do that is to have a read through this blog! The first place to visit is my Free Crochet Pattern page. Let me know what you think because I would love to hear from you! 🙂
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